After reviewing the ledger, it becomes clear there are approximately 158 people on the plantation, all subjected to the brutal, forced labor imposed by the Jang family.

As Jin finishes the final head count, she closes the worn ledger with a quiet snap. From the front steps of the main house, Kai emerges, the door creaking behind him as he steps into the heat and makes his way toward her.

Kai (exhaling): How many do we have?

Jin: Roughly 158. I’ve identified the three best suited for our immediate needs. There’s still one critical role left to fill I’ll keep working on it.

Kai (nodding): That’s good. I think it’s time I speak to them tell them what’s coming, and see who stays.

...

Kai stepped forward, the late afternoon sun casting a long shadow behind him. His voice cut through the murmuring crowd steady, unapologetic.

Kai:

My name is Kai. Some of you may recognize me. Some of you may not. But all of you know what today means. I’ve done what many of us only dreamed of in silence I’ve struck back. The ones who chained us here… some of them now lie dead. And not just the enforcers. The ones who profited off our backs. The ones who sold us into this life like cattle.

A hush fell over the crowd, the first wave of stunned disbelief rippling outward like a tremor. Then whispers scattered, rising. Fear. Doubt. Suspicion.

Kai (raising his voice):

And now… we all know what comes next. What always came next whenever one of us tried to run. Retaliation. Vengeance. The law won’t see victims or survivors here they’ll see conspirators. Slaves who turned violent. It won't matter if you fought or just stood and watched. Once they arrive, they won’t bother with questions. They’ll hang every last one of us.

The murmurs sharpened some angry, some terrified. A few voices began to rise above the rest, blaming, accusing.

Kai (stepping forward, voice unwavering):

Yes. You’re right. Some of you are saying exactly what needs to be said. I took the first step without asking you. I made a decision that put all of us in the fire. Maybe it was selfish. Maybe it was reckless. But I won’t pretend it wasn’t deliberate. I chose to light the fuse… because I’m done waiting for someone else to save us.

He paused, scanning the crowd, his gaze meeting the eyes of those too stunned or too furious to speak.

Kai:

But this is where your choice begins. You can hate me for dragging you into this. You’re allowed. But you are here now. We all are. And we have two roads in front of us:

One run. Go back to the same world that beat us bloody, sold our children, buried our names. Pray for mercy from people who never gave it.

Or two we rise. We organize. Not just for survival, but to build something beyond this nightmare. I don’t want to replace one master with another. I want to end the entire system that made this place possible. No more nobles. No more slave chains hidden behind law. A new order ours.

A man shouted from the crowd, voice raw with fear:

Man 1:

How do you plan to do that?! We didn’t sign up to die out there in the wild!

Man 2 (bitterly):

You didn’t give us a choice, Kai! You chose for us! That makes you no better than them!

A low murmur of agreement rolled through the crowd again deeper, angrier.

Kai (quietly, but with razor-sharp clarity):

You’re right. I did take your choice. Just like they took everything from us. I made that call, and I won’t run from it. But hear this I’m not here to lead you into slaughter. I’m here to offer something we’ve never been given: a real choice.

His voice rose, sharp as steel:

Kai:

You can leave. Right now. I won’t stop you. I won’t brand you a coward. But if you stay, if you stay and listen we have a chance. A chance to fight back. A chance to find the families that were torn from us, to free others still bound, and to create something worth dying and living for.

I’ve seen the strength in this crowd. I’ve seen the fire. And if you give me one chance just one we can make this real. We can build a world where none of us ever have to kneel again.

He looked out over the faces some stricken, some furious, but many now frozen in silence, caught between fear and the faint pull of hope.

Kai (softly):

Just give me a chance.

...

Doyun (stepping forward, voice sharp):

Oh yeah? And what exactly can one kid do? I came here out of respect for Jin she talked like you were someone worth listening to. But all I see now is a nineteen-year-old boy trying to wear a crown that doesn’t fit.

A wave of murmurs and half-laughter rolled through the crowd. Doyun’s confidence fueled them.

Doyun (pointing at Kai):

You talk about leading us, protecting us but how? You look like you can barely defend yourself. You’re in no better position than the rest of us!

The crowd roared, rallying behind him. Some shouted their agreement. Others nodded grimly. Doyun had seized them turned their fear into fire.

Doyun:

And I know what you’re about to say “It’s fight or die,”* right? I’ve heard it before. But I’d rather fight alone than follow a leader who’s never tasted war, never lost men, never had to make the hard calls!*

He stepped closer, his voice rising with raw challenge:

Doyun:

You want us to follow you into battle? Into blood and fire? Then prove you can lead us. Prove you’re not just a reckless boy playing hero. Because when the time comes to charge into the storm without fear… we need to know you’re the one who won’t break first.

He let the silence linger, a line drawn in dust between them.

The crowd stared at Kai, eyes narrowed, waiting, testing. Doubt thick in the air.

... 

Doyun’s challenge hung in the air like a blade drawn between them.

The crowd stood behind him now frustrated, desperate, and waiting to see Kai falter. To confirm their doubts. To collapse under the weight of what he claimed he could carry.

But Kai didn’t speak.

He didn’t argue.

He simply closed his eyes.

And the wind stopped.

A quiet, unnatural stillness settled over the clearing. Even the leaves in the trees seemed to hold their breath.

Kai exhaled.

Slowly deliberately he began to rise.

It wasn’t flashy. There was no explosion of light, no thunder. Just the unmistakable sight of his boots lifting from the ground, dust falling away from his soles like ash.

A few gasps broke through the silence as Kai’s body rose higher two feet… three… then five feet into the air, perfectly still, his arms relaxed at his sides. The crowd leaned back instinctively, some shielding their eyes from the soft shimmer of air that distorted slightly around him like heat.

He hovered above them not like a man defying gravity, but as if gravity had simply chosen not to hold him.

And then his eyes opened calm, steady, locked on Doyun.

Kai (voice even, powerful):

You wanted proof that I could lead. That I could protect you. That I was more than just a boy with ideas.

You’ve seen what happens when we wait for someone to save us. Now you’ve seen what happens when I stop waiting.

He slowly descended, his feet touching the ground with the quiet grace of a feather settling on water.

Kai:

I’m not asking for blind loyalty. I’m showing you I can carry what comes next because I already have. Alone.

But I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want you with me. All of you.

Not beneath me. Beside me.

The silence that followed wasn’t empty it was full. Dense with the weight of shifting hearts.

The crowd was no longer looking at a boy.

They were looking at a force.

...

Doyun stood there in awe. 

Every bone in his body was telling him this is a natural born leader. He walks over to Kai and the 3 others, Everyone now in agreement. 

Hyunwoo: Did you have to do all that Doyun? Then again, the masses did need one voice to unify all of their unsatisfaction. 

Doyun stood there in awe next to kai

Every bone in his body told him this was a natural-born leader.

Hyunwoo: "Did you have to do all that, Doyun? Then again, the masses did need one voice to unify all their unsatisfaction."

Doyun: "Someone had to say it.

Jin: "Thank you, Doyun. I don’t know how we can repay you."

Doyun: "With a life of peace and more money than I can imagine."

Everyone, including Kai, cracks a smile.

Kai: "Unfortunately, this was probably the easiest part of our new clan."

He pauses, his tone sharpening.

Kai: "There’s hard work ahead. But first, we need a private meeting just us."

He turns to Jin.

Kai: "Make sure everyone here has a place to stay tonight. In the morning, we start rebuilding and securing the clan. We prepare for the worst, retaliation is coming. I don’t know when, but it won’t be long."

...

After three hours of hard work, the five of them finally gathered in the main hall of the home. The stone walls still held the chill of night, and only a short while remained until the witching hour. Their bodies were tired, but something deeper something resolute kept them sitting upright.

Kai stood near the fireplace, the orange glow outlining the edge of his jaw. His tone was calm, serious, but full of quiet determination.

Kai: “Hey, everyone. First of all thank you. For coming here. For trusting me. I know it’s not easy to put your faith into something that barely exists yet, but you did. And that means everything.”

He looked each of them in the eye, pausing on every face before continuing.

Kai: “It’s no secret why we’re here tonight. We have to get this clan up and running and more importantly, we need to make it safe. For us, and for everyone who will come here after. There are several reasons why I had Jin bring each of you here. You all have something we need. Something this clan needs.”

He turned slightly to his left.

Kai: “That said, let’s start putting structure in place. First this should go without saying but my second-in-command is Jin. Whatever she says, treat it as if it came from me directly. She’ll also be in charge of Intelligence Collection and Surveillance.”

Jin, composed and confident, nodded once without hesitation.

Kai: “Jin, starting tomorrow, I’ll need you to gather at least five trusted individuals. They’ll report only to you. Your job is to secure the perimeter and monitor everything that comes in or out. I want daily briefings especially on any suspicious movements or new people trying to join.”

Jin: “Understood. I’ll select the right people first thing in the morning and assign them their posts. We’ll begin security watch in shifts no gaps.”

She paused, then added with a touch more weight:

Jin: “One thing I’d like to formally request the authority to create our safety regulations. Rules we all follow. Protocols, especially for emergencies.”

Kai: Nods firmly “Yes. That’s yours. Build whatever laws and systems you think we need to keep the peace.”

Jin: “Understood.”

A moment of silence passed before Kai shifted his gaze.

Kai: “Next Jisoo. Naturally, you’ll be in charge of medical care.”

Jisoo: Dryly “Doesn’t take a genius to figure that one out.”

Kai: Smiles faintly “Still. It needs to be said. Right now, everyone is a patient of yours. Some of the people we’ve taken in are injured others are worse off. For this clan to survive, they need healing. We need you.”

Jisoo: “I’ll get a medical station set up by sunrise.”

She leaned back slightly, tone calm but cool.

Jisoo: “Also just to put it on the table I excel in poison crafting.”

The air shifted.

Doyun: Leaning forward, mock-suspicious “I knew it.”

Kai: Frowns slightly “Knew what?”

Doyun: “Over the years, some nobles fell mysteriously ill. Completely incurable, no matter what healers tried. I always suspected Jisoo had something to do with it.”

Jisoo: Unfazed “Can you prove it?”

Doyun: Shrugs “Why would I want to?”

Kai: Shakes his head with a quiet breath “Alright moving on. Doyun, you’ll be our treasurer.”

Doyun: Raises an eyebrow “Of what treasure, exactly?”

Kai: Glances at him, then exhales “Fair question. For now, you’ll manage our food stores and supplies. We have nothing to trade yet, no funds, but that’ll change. Until then, inventory control is key.”

Doyun: “Don’t count us out just yet. I believe I know a few places where the last family stashed some wealth. I’ll check those first thing in the morning.”

Kai: “Good. If we’re going to build something sustainable, we’ll need every resource we can find.”

He turned to the last among them.

Kai: “Hyunwoo. You’re possibly the most important person in this room.”

Hyunwoo: Raises an eyebrow, surprised “I am?”

Kai: “You’re in charge of Agriculture and Jobs. We can’t survive without food. And we can’t function if people have nothing to do. I need those farmlands back in shape and I need people working.”

Hyunwoo: Thinking aloud “First, I’ll have to take a head count of the existing crops and see what condition the fields are in. Based on what I saw earlier, if I’m right, we have enough food to last maybe six months. But that’s if we ration.”

Kai: “That’s solid. I’ll head into the wild and do what I can to supplement that. If we play this right, we’ll stretch that to eight.”

Doyun: Smirking “So if Kai comes back with a deer, that’s technically my treasure now, right?”

Jin: Without looking up “Only if you don’t eat it raw.”

Kai: Chuckles softly “Alright. Enough of that. We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, but tonight, we rest. We’ve made it this far. That alone is no small thing.”

The fire crackled in the silence that followed. The walls, worn and old, no longer felt like ruins. In that moment, surrounded by firelight, calloused hands, and unspoken trust they felt like the beginnings of something real.

Something alive.